Mixed Bag

CCRi’s annual spring brewfest once again put beer tasters in the difficult quandary of trying to rank favorites from the plethora of home-brewed goodness. While the kids played in large, muddy ponds from recent rains, the brew tasters thoughtfully sampled, and then sampled again. The ballots were carefully tabulated and the winners noted below:

Spring Brewfest Festivities Underway at Pen Park

Kids Reap the Benefit of Recent Rainfall

First Place: Don Rude’s “Speckled Heifer”

Second Place: Joseph Featherston’s “Black Cascade”

Third Place: Will Makabenta’s Rye IPA

Fourth Place: Jake Kenneally’s “Chocolate Pi”

Don Rude produced the winning brew of the day with a hybrid American cream ale, playfully named “Speckled Heifer”. Coming in at 4% ABV this easy drinking ale was light, crisp and fizzy, and had decided cream notes (and, to me, a sweet corn taste) that made this brew stand out .Don also produced an Irish Red (at 4.59% ABV) named “Irish Redfields”, which Don modestly described as “Red. Smooth. Delicious.” Joseph Featherston, another stalwart CCRi brewer, took the second place prize with a Cascadian dark ale (aka Black IPA) called “Black Cascade”. Joseph dry hopped this 5.50% ABV brew for a balanced and flavorful hop to malt tasting experience. Will Makabenta, fairly new to CCRi and on his virgin voyage as a CCRi brewing contestant, made an impressive debut with a limited edition 5.5% ABV Rye IPA. The rye added some nice, spicy flavor character to this beer. And finally, Jake Kenneally, another long-time brewer presented us with a wonderful milk chocolate stout named “Chocolate Pi”, which clocked in at a surprising 7% ABV. This already smooth and chocolately treat was taken to the next level when Jake brought out tubs of premium vanilla ice cream for stout floats!

As always, we thank you all for your participation and for brewing such delicious beer! We appreciate your efforts!

Barely two weeks flew by after the picnic, when the itch to get out and do something fun and different compelled a handful of CCRian’s to leave data sets and software architecture behind and seek out rolling hills of perfectly manicured green grass. Lead by the ever-intrepid Chef Master Kyle, an afternoon of golf at Meadowcreek Golf Course was assembled, and included Kyle, Chris, Jake P. and Yours Truly. The gentlemen all possessed reasonable skill, while I was clearly in the uber duffer category. I made myself useful by taking pictures and helping to locate balls that landed in the shrubbery. And while some may argue that golf is not a sport, don’t let anyone tell you that golf is not a workout. Especially if you walk the course and schlep those heavy golf bags around! Here’s a fun fact: Did you know that if you were to walk all 18 holes at Augusta National Golf Club you will have walked 9 miles and gotten a serious cross-fit workout? We only played 9 holes and at the end were hot and dog-tired!

From Rough to Smooth: Jake P. Lines Up His ShotJake P & Chris Look On, While Kyle Demonstrates His Technique

Meadowcreek is a lovely, hilly course that also offers much to the nature lover who also happens to golf. This 155 acre course is populated with stately oak trees and flowering dogwood and cherry trees, and with distant mountain vistas. It is also home to several flocks of Canada Geese and their goslings who make their way about, calmly standing their ground, craning their necks out to give your ankle a good nip, should you get too close.

The fun and merriment stays in steady rotation at CCRi. Opportunities for planned and impromptu parties, not to mention visits from vendor food trucks, keep everyone’s tummy happy.

Friday Grilling Events Continue On!

Lots of Food Trucks Stop By, Including Ice Cream!

The biking group offers a monthly Ice Cream Social for those actively participating in the National Bike Challenge, with top rider prizes awarded. CCRi’s Trivia Team continues it’s First Place lead in the region for District Trivia, and our book club continues each month with insightful analysis, opinion and good-natured debates.

And what would life be without man or woman’s Best Friend? A shout-out to the beloved dogs of CCRi, who will often drop in to say hello, and brighten up our day.